Every once in a while the real world becomes daunting: the stress of work, demands of family and money concerns are enough to make adults long for a way to escape reality for a little while. Readers looking for an instant escape rely typically on books in the science fiction realm, the adult equivalent to the fairy tales of their youth. However, there are a wide assortment of fairy tales that were written with adults in mind that go beyond the successful Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings series.
Romantic Adult Fairy Tale: Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Faerie land, a lover on a quest to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved, evil old witches, unicorns and goblins: these are the typical things a fairy tale is comprised of. However in Gaiman's Stardust, the tale goes beyond the typical and transports the reader to a place where they easily become absorbed into the fast-paced story and follow with close anticipation to Tristan's journey. This is a fairy tale that any reader looking for a timeless love story can enjoy.
Mainstream Adult Fairy Tale: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Riding on the heels of his commercially successful re-telling of the Wicked Witch of the West (from The Wizard of Oz) in Wicked, Maguire once again enchants readers with his imaginative and fully inventive re-telling of the Cinderella story. With sharp dialog, historically accurate factual background information and a prevailing theme of the redeeming power of art, Confessions is another great read for a wide-reaching audience.
Feminist Adult Fairy Tale: The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
This classic novella collection of ten freshly woven tales inspired by traditional fairy tales including Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood presented in Carter's decidedly feminist slant. For example, in "The Bloody Chamber", instead of the maiden being rescued by the handsome prince, she is saved by her mother. All of the stories are told from a woman's perspective and many of them are updated to fit into a modern setting. The stories are short and make for fun, fast and thought provoking reads.
Literary Adult Fairy Tale: Transformations by Anne Sexton
For those readers looking for a poetic take on some of the traditional fairy tales, Transformations by Anne Sexton is a must-read. Sexton takes seventeen classic Grimm Brothers fairy tales and essentially transforms them into something of a modern literary masterpiece. With an oftentimes dark, though always poetically beautiful, interpretation of the sugarcoated versions of fairy tales that all children are aware of. This is a short read at 128 pages, however it gives the reader an opportunity to hang on every single word.
Erotica Adult Fairy Tales: Enchanted: Erotic Bedtime Stories for Women by Nancy Madore
There are fairy tales for readers of every genre and fans of women's erotica are no exception. Enchanted is an enticing collection of classic fairy tales spun with an erotic twist. Madore's stories are each different and focus on a different fantasy, giving the reader plenty to choose from. The stories, while certainly erotic in nature, are not obscene and the reader would be hard-pressed to encounter any 'dirty' language. Definitely a tame read for those looking for their fairy tales with an erotic undertone.
This is just a sampling of the many fairy tales available for adult readers, which goes to prove that grown ups don't have to give up their 'happily-ever-afters' after all.
